


Marching Forward (Back to You)

by bitseaa



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Final Haikyuu Quest, Childhood Friends, Demon Oikawa Tooru, Friends to Enemies to Lovers, Knight Iwaizumi Hajime, M/M, Magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:21:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27425632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitseaa/pseuds/bitseaa
Summary: "Gods," the demon hissed, stepping back and shaking his now reddened hand. Iwaizumi brought a hand up to hold his bleeding nose. "What the hell do they make you humans out of?""Bones, last time I checked," the knight deadpanned before realizing that was not, in fact, Oikawa standing in front of him. "Wait, Kuroo?"The other smirked at him, pain seemingly forgotten. "The one and only! Welcome home, Iwaizumi."Horrified, Iwaizumi watches as his closest friend succumbs to darkness. He sets out to do something about it.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 5
Kudos: 43





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This AU is heavily inspired by the Final Haikyuu Quest official art and the Fire Emblem series. The plot will draw heavy inspiration from Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, but you definitely don't need to have any prior knowledge!
> 
> I absolutely adore RPGs and fantasy games, so each chapter I'll link a song from a fantasy game's soundtrack for each scene. The prologue is just one scene so its music is linked below:
> 
> [the beginning - the sacred stones](https://youtu.be/PQ314mLgJCc)
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

The content of Magvel was one of tumultuous history. In the beginning, evil had free roam of the land, swarming in the depth of the shadows, disorganized and dangerous. Steadily, one monster rose up to rule them all, the Demon King. Under his reign, humanity was forced onto its last legs, sending those who fought for freedom into the depths of the Sacred Forest. There, at the Temple of the Gods, five human heroes pleaded with the greater powers to intervene. 

Weathering onslaught after onslaught at the hands of the Demon King, their prayers went unanswered and their numbers continued to dwindle. Day after day, the heroes returned to the Temple until at last, in a fit of desperation, they cast down their weapons onto the cold stone floor. The leader of the group, a knight famous for his sterling sword, looked to the heavens. _We relinquish our weapons to you,_ he stated, _our defense is in your hands._ The goddess of light, so moved by their plea, descended upon them and blessed each of their weapons. When next the demon king descended upon their forest, they met him with holy light. Vanquishing him into the depths of the temple’s treasure, a sacred orb, The heroes propelled the continent into a new era of light. 

Finally emerging from the forest, they each went their separate ways, bringing with them the weapons that won their freedom. There they would establish the kingdoms that would rule the land for centuries to come, borders firmly cut.

Peace descended upon Magvel at last, and the reign of the Demon King faded into legend. 


	2. Chapter 1 - Journey Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the run, Iwaizumi makes some new acquaintances. Or remakes, if we’re feeling picky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First actual chapter! I hope you enjoy :) 
> 
> Music for chapter 1:
> 
> scene 1: [seal of the seven maidens - a link to the past](https://youtu.be/MwE2QfDNc2s)  
> scene 2: [kakariko village - ocarina of time](https://youtu.be/agR5aaQL2PY)  
> scene 3: [ice cavern - ocarina of time](https://youtu.be/u9bMX8wk8VY)  
> 

Of course the downpour would start _now_ of all times. It was just his luck that the storm that had been looming all week decided to break as soon as he went outside.

Iwaizumi wiped away the water dripping into his eyes, jerkily hacking into the plants in his path with the dulled sword in his other hand. _Should’ve sharpened it. I knew I forgot to do something._

The storm was loud, not quite deafening, but enough to rattle the trees above him loudly, rendering almost any sound aside from the pounding of the water obsolete. Anxiously, he checked over his shoulder as often as he could. He was on edge; with all the noise, it was impossible to hear if someone was approaching him from behind.

Despite everything, he managed to make steady progress forward. The map in the bag slung hastily over his shoulder was surely nothing but a sodden mess by now, but if he had to guess, he was fairly certain he’d crossed into Karasuno territory in the course of the past hour. He wasn’t exactly sure what time it was either, given that the heavy clouds blocked any trace of potential sun or moonlight. He was certainly tired enough to sleep at the very least, time of day be damned. 

His arm was throbbing, tired from hours of clearing a path through the forest. He resigned himself to the necessity of taking a break, eyes scanning for somewhere to take shelter from the onslaught of rain. A surprising amount of water made it through the canopy of the trees—probably thanks to the violent wind—pelting his face with a ferocity that quickly soured his already dour mood. _Just a little further._ Up ahead, the trees seemed to thin into the opening of a clearing, perhaps there would be a hut or some sort of shelter that could offer him solace. 

Once again, it seemed his luck had failed him. Upon reaching the edge of the clearing, Iwaizumi was disappointed to find the space devoid of anything besides moss and rocks.

“Of course," he grumbled aloud, catching his head in his hands and massaging at his temples where a headache was quickly mounting. He stood like that for a moment, urgency forgotten in the sudden wave of exhaustion that washed over him.

The not too distant crunch of leaves was the only warning he got before something sharp sank into his arm right between the plates of his armor. He let out a pained shout, pushing desperately at the _thing_ lodged in his arm. All he could make out was the flash of blood red eyes, the crimson of his own blood painted across its face a morbid accent, as the creature fell from his arm onto the ground with a heavy _thud._

“What the _fuck,_ " he hissed, breath ragged as he stared at the thing in front of him. He tightened his fingers around the hilt of his sword, injured arm hanging uselessly on the other side of his body. The creature bared its teeth, long and sinister, letting out a low growl. Its black, matted fur stuck out in all directions. Iwaizumi let out a low noise of his own, lifting his sword. The thing's eyes widened and it took a couple slow steps back before scurrying off. 

“What the fuck,” he repeated, shoulders still tense as he scanned the area for any more surprises. He didn’t find anything, and reluctantly, he allowed himself a deep breath. As the adrenaline faded, a throbbing pain crashed into his wounded arm with a vengeance. Blood oozed onto the metal surrounding his arms from the gashes there, mixing in messy rivulets with the rain and falling to the mud at his feet. 

“Shit,” he spat, quickly dropping his sword into the sheath at his hip before pulling at the straps of his pauldron. Rainfall tore at the exposed injury as the loose armor piece tumbled to the ground, eliciting a hiss of pain from the knight. “What _was_ that thing?"

His free hand burrowed into his bag, searching for a cloth to staunch the blood flow with. Fingers caught against the material of his spare undershirt, and he pulled the garment out and up to his mouth, catching the material between his teeth. Still cursing under his breath even through a mouth full of fabric, he ripped a long strip off and clumsily wrapped it around the injury. His fingers stumbled as he attempted to knot it one-handed, but he got it on the third try and sagged against the nearest tree in relief. Pain pulsed steadily from the gash, only amplified by the pressure from the makeshift bandage.

_Fuck, oh Gods this sucks, I need to get going._ Panic and pain pounded against his skull in equal parts. Pushing off the tree with his good arm, he plucked his pauldron and his bag from the ground, shoving the former into the latter and forcing his feet forwards through the mud. _Can’t get caught. Can’t get caught._ He chanted it like a mantra internally, hoping it would be enough to get him to the next town. He stumbled as his foot caught a branch in his path. 

Not even bothering with his sword to hack through the plants anymore, he pushed his way through the thorny undergrowth, keeping steady in one direction and praying for a town to appear. Only the squelch of his boots and the howling of a storm accompanied him, occasionally joined by grunts or hisses of pain. Blood and water soaked through the cloth around his arm. He was growing dizzy: either from exhaustion or pain, he couldn’t tell.

After what felt like years of walking, he collapsed onto a soggy log, legs screaming in protest as they bent at the knees. Desperately, he tipped his canteen back into his mouth, finishing off the last of the water there. _Shit, I need to get out of here._ Shoving down his panic, he allowed himself a moment of rest and reflection. He’d never seen something like that creature: vicious, and dark, and glowing _._ He couldn’t shake the creeping feeling in his gut though, that it was something to do with magic, _familiar_ magic. He only ever seen one other being, no, one other _person’s_ eyes glow such a startling shade of red. _Oi_ –

Suddenly, something long and thin whizzed past his cheek. His head quickly snapped up, body going rigid. A quick glance over his shoulder confirmed what the object had been; an arrow was lodged firmly in the trunk of the tree directly behind him. His hand clenched tightly around the hilt of his sword where it sat sheathed at his hip. 

“Who’s there?" He shouted to be heard above the rain. No one replied. He gritted his teeth, standing on still unsteady feet and cursed his luck. Why him? And why in such a short span of time? “Who’s there?” he yelled again. Another arrow shot through the air, this time striking directly in the middle of his chest plate and bouncing off. It sent him stumbling backwards, boots desperately grasping for purchase in the slick mud. He fell flat onto his back, air knocked out of him as his head bashed into the ground. “Fuck,” he wheezed. 

Before he could push back up, a boot made its home on top of his abdomen. Iwaziumi let out a pained grunt, opening his eyes to the sight of a shock of orange hair above him and a sword at his neck. A young boy stood above him, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“What are you doing here?” The boy asked, eyes trailing where Iwaizumi’s fingers wrapped around the hilt of his sword once more, “Stop moving!” The knight grunted as the boot pushed against the armor plate on his stomach. 

"Let me," he started, sucking in a strained breath, “let me breathe and I’ll tell you.” His eyes widened imperceptibly as a taller boy stepped up behind the ginger. _This is bad, I’m out numbered._ Instead of drawing a weapon on him like Iwaizumi expected, the second boy, dark haired and blue-eyed, simply let out a startled noise. A _familiar_ startled noise. _Oh gods._

“Hinata,” he grunted, and yep, Iwaizumi would recognize that deadpan anywhere. _Kageyama. Shit._ “Go stake out the rest of the area.”

The orange haired boy—or Hinata, he supposed he now knew—seemed startled. “Huh? But that would leave you alone with a stranger, you don’t even have–”

“A weapon?” Kageyama finished for him, Raising the bow in his right hand and tapping the hilt of a dagger tucked in his waistband meaningfully with the other. The ginger huffed.

“Well, yeah, but it’s dangerous! And a bow is no good in close combat!”

The archer rolled his eyes. “I let you read one tactics book and now you think you know everything. I will be fine, just go.”

“But–”

“ _Go._ ” 

Hinata pulled the sword away from Iwaizumi’s neck with a pout, finally allowing the knight to take in a full breath. “Fine!” he whined, “but don’t blame me if you get hurt!” With that, the boy stomped off. Perhaps under other circumstances Iwaizumi would’ve been amused. At present he was just panicked at the look in Kageyama’s eyes. The dark-haired boy crouched down beside him before he could make a scramble to escape, pressing the blade of his dagger much closer to the skin of Iwaizumi’s neck than Hinata had. Fear crawled up his throat, and he desperately resisted the urge to swallow.

“Iwaizumi,” Kageyama drawled, eyes narrowing, “what odd circumstances to meet you again under.” Guilt settled heavily in Iwaizumi’s gut as a series of memories flashed through his mind.

_Tugging at a pair of slender arms, shouting, screaming for him to stop._

_“Tobio, I’m going to make you pay for violating my trust so carelessly!”_

_Stop. Stop. Stop. Pleading for him to stop._

_A dark-haired boy, smaller and more doe-eyed then, crouched on the floor in fear._

_Stop. This isn’t like you! Stop!_

_A laugh, cold and merciless. Chillingly unfamiliar, from_ him _, him of all people. Oi-_

“No answer?” The brush of sharp metal against his skin snapped him out of his reverie.

“Kageyama, oh gods, I’m–”

“Save it,” the archer interrupted, glaring down at him, “just tell me why you’re here. _He_ sent you, didn’t he?" The last part was said with a sneer, blue eyes going murky and dark. Iwaizumi shut his own, trying to suppress the shudder that went through him. The dagger was too close for comfort. 

“No,” he whispered, too scared to move his throat any further, “No, he didn’t. Quite the opposite, in fact.” The gap between his throat and the dagger widened. Iwaizumi let out a small breath of relief. 

“Then what…?” The other trailed off. 

“It’s gotten worse,” Iwaizumi explained, voice raising to a more comfortable volume now that he wasn’t in danger of nicking himself. “I had to get out of there. Had to tell someone what was going to happen. I heard rumors of a group assembling and-”

Kageyama cut into his story, pressing the blade closer once more. Iwaizumi quickly snapped his mouth shut. “Rumors? Does _he_ know?”

“No. Just me, I didn’t tell him. He doesn’t even know I left yet.” A lengthy pause passed, Iwaizumi opened his eyes, staring back at the archer. He looked unsure, but nowhere near as hardened as before.

“How do I know you’re not lying?” the other asked, unsteady. _How can I prove it…_

Hesitantly, Iwaizumi lifted his left foot up to draw the boy’s attention. His eyes drifted downwards, lips falling into a confused pout.

“In my boot, there’s a dagger,” Iwaizumi explained, “My father gave it to me right before he passed. it’s all I have left of him. Take it, if it means proving I want to help.” He was barely able to force the words past his lips, heart twisting at the thought of parting ways with the weapon. 

Kageyama unfastened the buckles of his boot, sliding the sheathed dagger out from where it fit snugly against Iwaizumi’s leg. He examined the carvings for a moment then clipped it to his belt, seemingly satisfied. Iwaizumi’s heart twinged. _Remember what you’re doing this for, Hajime._

“I am going to give you one chance," Kageyama uttered, low and threatening. “If you betray my trust, I will not hesitate to throw you to the wolves.” He drew back completely then, falling into a crouch and grabbing onto the exposed portion of Iwaizumi’s arm. The knight let out a scream of pain as fingers dug into his wound, pulling in forcing him into a sitting position. Kageyama pulled away quickly, as it burned.

“Y-you’re injured?" The change in demeanor was almost laughable. _Almost._ Things didn’t seem very funny with searing heat blazing from his arm.

"Yeah," he grunted, unable to manage anymore. The younger boy let out a low swear, digging through the bag on his shoulder. After a moment, he pressed a shining blue potion into Iwaizumi’s hand. “Drink this,” Kageyama started. He whipped around at the sound of crunching leaves. “Shit, he’s coming back. whatever you do, don’t mention we’re from Seij–"

He stopped talking immediately as the orange haired boy came into earshot once more.

“Kageyama! That was so pointless, there was no one out there and—huh?! What happened here, are you hurt? Is _he_ hurt? Oh gods, he’s bleeding! Did he attack you?” Hinata’s voice rose with panic each and every sentence as he came to a stop in front of the two on the ground. Kageyama just sighed. 

“Would you please just shut up? He’s injured and he’s coming with us. That’s all." The other boy stomped his foot in response, splattering mud on Kageyama's sleeve. He at least had the decency to look sheepish afterwards, Iwaizumi had to give them credit there.

“What?” he shrieked, not stopping to apologize, “we don’t even know him!“

“I know him," Kageyama corrected. Hinata looked perplexed.

“Huh? How?!”

“Uh, well…” Kageyama was a bad liar. A _horrible_ liar. This Iwaizumi knew from experience. 

“I’m a blacksmith. I sold him a sword when he passed through my home village a while back,” he interrupted, almost sickened at how easy it was for him to lie. _I guess I learned from the best_ he mused, before quickly shutting down any other thoughts of _him._

“Oh, yeah! That,” Kageyama agreed, voice stilted and awkward. Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow. _Where did all that intimidation go?_

“Oh," Hinata stared on for a moment, seemingly pacified by the answer. “Well that explains the armor at least, for a second there I thought you were one of those creepy Seijoh guards! we don’t like them!” he chirped, rocking back and forth on his heels. Iwaizumi made to stand, choosing not to comment on how quick the little ginger was to trust. It was in his favor, after all. 

“No, no we don’t," parroted Kageyama, casting Iwaizumi a meaningful glance. The knight rolled his eyes at the younger boy, as if he didn’t know the political state of their nations. Instead of answering, he opted to knock back the blue potion, tossing the empty bottle back at Kageyama. His arm snapped out to catch it, sticking it back in his bag. _He still has those reflexes, I see._

The potion hit him after a moment, the sudden sensation of the rush of magic in his veins causing him to hiss. The young swordsman‘s eyes went wide.

“Oh no! We need to get that treated!” he yelled, taking off in the other direction without any sort of forewarning. Kageyama heaved a sigh and motioned for Iwaizumi to follow. 

"You don’t seem very surprised," the knight commented, “is this a usual occurrence?”

“He’s like a child,” Kageyama answered, “It’s exhausting.“ The tone of the boy’s voice suggested there was more to it than that, but Iwaizumi chose not to pry.

"Hurry up!" The ginger shouted from a distance. Iwaizumi chuckled, feeling at ease for the first time that day.

"You heard the man," he said, increasing his pace as much as he could through the mud. Kageyama grunted behind him.

"No one’s going to die if we take our time," he grumbled. The knight laughed outright at that.

Maybe traveling with a group wouldn’t be that bad.

\-- ⋆♔⋆ -- 

“You’re sure he knows where he’s going?"

Kageyama hesitated in answering, and Iwaizumi bit his lip worriedly. They had been walking for a solid hour now, and still Hinata kept up a solid ten foot lead. The boy looked unconcerned, a slight skip to his step as he hummed cheerfully.

“Don’t worry,” said the archer in a tone that was not at _all_ reassuring, “he actually has a surprisingly good sense of direction.”

“You don’t sound too convinced." The knight made sure to keep his voice below a low murmur, knowing how quick the anger the other could be.

“What was that?"

“Nothing, don’t worry about it."

The scenery passed by in a blur of greens and browns. The rain had finally stopped, but Iwaizumi was still tired from all his walking without rest earlier, and his arm was throbbing. _Just how deep in the woods are we?_

“Shouldn’t be long now!” Hinata chirped from up ahead, throwing a glance over his shoulder at the two who were lagging behind. Iwaizumi jumped at the sudden externalization of his thoughts.

“What are you, a mind reader?” he asked quietly, mostly to himself. Kageyama shot him an exasperated look.

“No, he’s just annoyingly perceptive.“

“I heard that and I resent it!" The ginger proclaimed, whipping around to place his hands on his hips. Kageyama kept walking, knocking his shoulder into the shorter boy’s and eliciting an indignant “hey!”. Iwaizumi took the time to study the archer as he walked away.

Kageyama seemed a lot more confident and carefree than he remembered, no doubt thanks to the new friend (friends? Iwaizumi wasn’t sure) that he had made here in Karasuno. He was glad the kid was doing well, after all he’d been through.

“Say, Kageyama–”

“There! There’s the village!” The knight blinked as Hinata whipped past him, running off ahead once more. Ahead, the trees thinned into an opening, light filtering through the gaps between. Kageyama let out a sigh of relief beside him, prompting an indignant look from Iwaizumi.

“Why did you just sigh like that? Didn’t you say you had a good sense of direction?”

“Oh, yeah, I lied. I just didn’t want to freak you out.” 

Iwaizumi shot the archer a cold glare, and the boy quickly tacked on our sheepish “sorry”. Neither said anything more as they entered the village. It was quaint, with small houses forming a center square and framing a market, a stone well right in the middle of it all. A smile tugged on his lips, it’d been a while since he had been anywhere but a busy castle town. Hinata beckoned them forward with an impatient flick of his wrist.

“The inn is this way, hurry up!”

The inn itself was a humble building, all wood paneling and a sod roof. To Iwaizumi, though, it looked more inviting than any mansion; he desperately needed to get off his feet and get his arm treated. He tapped his foot mindlessly as Hinata chatted with the girl at the front desk. The swordsman soon came back sporting a grin and a jangling set of keys.

“Got us a room!" He cheered, taking off down the hallway. Iwaizumi followed, Kageyama close behind. The knight entered the room and fell back onto one of the beds as Hinata held the door open. He kicked off his boots and sighed. His relaxation lasted for all of two glorious seconds before the excitable ginger was bouncing by his side.

“So Mr. Blacksmith," he started. Iwaizumi groaned internally. “What’s your name? Where are you from? Where are you going? Why are you here?" he cut off with an indignant squawk as Kageyama whacked the back of his head.

“Oi, slow down dumbass, and stop prying so much,” the other chided, gruff. 

“Sorry,” Hinata grumbled, “meeting new people is just exciting!” He turned back to Iwaizumi. “Can I at least know your name?”

“Iwaizumi Hajime,” he sighed, closing his eyes. _Can we do this later?_

“Oh cool! I’m Hinata Shouyou! And this is my friend Kageyama Tob-”

“He knows who I am, idiot.”

“Oh, right.”

Iwaizumi decided to interrupt before this could go on for longer.

“Hey,” he interjected, fighting to keep his voice from betraying his annoyance, “can we maybe do the whole introduction thing later? I’m really tired right now.”

“Oh! Whoops!” Even at a whisper, the boy’s voice was comically loud.

“It’s fine,” the knight assured, sitting up to remove his armor, “It’s just late. We can talk tomorrow okay?” Hinata nodded resolutely, already shucking off his wet clothes. Once Iwaizumi was down to his underclothes, he flopped back onto the mattress with a groan. “Goodnight,” he offered, voice laden with exhaustion. The other two echoed the sentiment back, laying down in their respective beds.

Bone weary, It didn’t take him long to fall asleep. 

\-- ⋆♔⋆ -- 

Iwaizumi didn’t know where he was. It was dark, the walls were made of mossy, stacked stone. It smelled dank, maybe a dungeon, but that begged the question— _how did he get there?_

He ran his fingers along the stone, marveling at the size difference. The stones were huge—that or his hands were just inexplicably small. _Since when were his hands so small–?_

“Hajime!” The call of another voice interrupted his panicked train of thought. Everything felt cloudy all of the sudden. Hazy. He blinked as a young boy, stumpy horns just barely pushing out of his hair, stepped up beside him. _Tooru’s here too, then._ His shoulders relaxed, just slightly.

“Where are we?” He marveled, eyelids heavy. He blinked: once, twice, yet still they drooped. 

“Together,” the other chirped, seemingly unconcerned with the unfamiliar surroundings, “like always.”

“Yeah but,” a yawn broke through his questions, “where?” The edges of his vision clouded. He couldn’t shake the feeling of uneasiness. 

“Together,” Tooru said again, voice going thin with impatience. “What does it matter if we’re together?” Iwaizumi didn’t have an answer for that. Something felt off. A flaring sense of danger making itself known on the standing hairs on the back of his neck. 

The other turned to him then, eyes flashing with a deep red color that set Iwaizumi’s body screaming in protest. He was filled with the deep seated need to run, something wasn’t right, _something was wrong with Tooru._ His limbs wouldn’t move, he was rooted in place. 

“But the thing is we’re not,” the horned boy sighed, and suddenly his voice was lower, suddenly they weren’t so small. Tooru was tall, horns long and eyes dark. Iwaizumi couldn’t move.

“You left me for them. The rest of the world. I thought it was us against the world, hm?” His tone was dark, threatening. _That’s not Tooru!_ something inside him screamed, but it was, it had to be. Iwaizumi didn’t answer, _couldn’t_ answer, his mouth still wouldn’t move. 

“It’s your fault.” 

Tooru surged forward then, pointed teeth shining in the dim light before sinking into Iwaizumi’s arm. The knight let out a garbled scream, falling to his knees. _NotTooruNotTooruNotTooru._ The other boy let him fall, staring impassively as crimson dripped down his chin. 

The demon wiped the back of his hand against his mouth, missing the blood that streamed out of the corner and fell onto the floor with a quiet _drip, drip, drip._ His smile curved up on one end, predatory.

“What do you say we destroy them all, Iwa-chan? It used to be you and me versus the world before _they_ interfered, after all.”

_Drip, drip, drip._

_No._ He wanted to shout. His lips wouldn’t form around the words. _Not like this._ The red eyes drew closer, piercing in their intensity. He wanted to scream, run, he couldn’t _move_ . _No. No, no, no, no, no–_

Iwaizumi sat bolt upright in bed, chest heaving. He whipped his head around, looking for Oikawa. Instead he was met with the walls of an inn. _An inn?_ A snore from the other bed drew his attention. Hinata lay there, mouth wide open, drool pooling on his pillow. _Karasuno. I’m in Karasuno. I left._

Heart still pounding, he glanced down at his throbbing arm. Blood had soaked through the makeshift bandage while he was sleeping. He cursed quietly under his breath, pulling off his shirt and wrapping it around the wound. Focusing on securing the knot, he willed the images of his nightmare away. It didn’t work.

_It will be fine,_ he assured himself. Everything would work out, he would succeed, and no one would get hurt. Things could go back to normal soon, he just had to get to the capital, had to warn someone. The cruel intonation of _“destroy them all”_ echoed throughout his mind. He wished it was just a figment of his subconscious.

Satisfied with the state of his arm, he lowered himself back down onto the mattress. The ceiling stared back at him. He wasn’t tired anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated <3


	3. Chapter 2 - Into the Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Accompanied by his new friends, Iwaizumi sets off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> music for this chapter :)
> 
> scene 1: [lake - pokemon diamond](https://youtu.be/0aPosoat6Sg)  
> scene 2: ["shh...easy now..." - awakening](https://youtu.be/doj627aUfuc)  
> scene 3 (first half): [dungeon of shadows - a link to the past](https://youtu.be/c3dZZsarAKk)  
> scene 3 (starting at "Amazed?"): [laughter - the sacred stones](https://youtu.be/iHhuEMkwLR4)

Morning came after hours of off-putting silence, and brought with it the apparent early bird master-of-swords-in-training, Hinata, bouncing off the walls. Iwaizumi opened his eyes to the sight of a shock of orange hair leaning far too close into his personal space.

“Gooooood morning!” The younger boy all but shouted when he noticed Iwaizumi was awake. The knight’s brow wrinkled as he gently pushed the other away.

“Not so loud, please,” he mumbled, making to sit. Hinata bounced eagerly a couple feet away.

“It's later now, Mr. Blacksmith! So you have to tell me where you’re going and why!! _Oh,_ and where you got that super cool sword!”

“Slow down,” the knight urged, struggling to keep up, “one question at a time.”

“Okay, then tell me where you’re going first! Because we have to head out soon,” the swordsman started shoving items haphazardly into his bag. Iwaizumi winced.

“The capital, I really need to speak with someone,” he thumbed at the beaded bracelet around his wrist, silver and turquoise gleaming back at him. Hinata didn’t respond straight away, eyes trained on the motions of his fingers against the jewelry.

“That’s where we’re going too!” The younger eventually chirped, seemingly snapped out of his stupor, “you should travel with us, it’s not safe on the road alone!” Blessedly, Kageyama came up and whacked the other boy on the head.

“I already told you he was coming with us, didn’t I?”

“Well yeah, but I thought you just meant for the night.”

“No dumbass, he said he was looking–”

“Didn’t you say we need to get going?” Iwaizumi interrupted, internally sighing at the thought that this would probably become a reoccurring thing. _Am I doomed to forever be surrounded by overly talkative people?_

“Oh, yeah,” Hinata blinked, pacified by the sudden reminder. Kageyama just grunted.

The knight swung his legs over the side of the bed, making his way over to the pile of his armor in the corner of the room. One by one, he began to secure the metal pieces together over his body. He cast a glance at the pair behind him as he secured his gauntlets.

“So are you two just traveling alone?” he asked, curious. He'd heard rumors of a "group for good" forming all the way over in Seijoh, but an archer and a swordsman hardly constituted a group. Maybe they _weren’t_ the people he was looking for, afterall. 

“For now,” Kageyama answered, pushing past Hinata as he reached for his stuff, “usually we travel with more people. We’re meeting up with a couple of them in the capital, actually.”

“Ah,” Iwaizumi grunted, grabbing the last of his things. He stood by the doorframe as the other two prepared to leave, silence not entirely uncomfortable. They bid the innkeeper goodbye— Iwaizumi and Kageyama with a silent wave and Hinata with a _thanks!_ that was entirely too cheerful that early in the morning.

The air outside was nippy, but not too biting. What little blew through the cracks of his armor felt soothing against the stinging pulse of his wound. Kageyama pulled out a map, directing them along a worn dirt road as Hinata hummed, a skip in his step. 

The peace didn’t last very long, the young swordsman sidling up beside him after a few minutes. “So, Iwaizumi,” he started. Iwaizumi, having built up the patience of a saint for almost his entire life, bit back the weary sigh that threatened to spill out of him. _It’s too early for an interrogation._

“Yes?” he replied instead of the million versions of _can we please wait until the sun is fully into the sky to start chattering?_ that he wanted to say. 

“You seem anxious,” the redhead stated, “Is everything okay?” Kageyama hadn’t been kidding when he said the boy was annoyingly perceptive, it seemed.

“Yeah,” Iwaizumi lied. He wasn’t even sure of how deep his current problem ran right now, only knew that he needed to get to the capital as soon as possible.

“Liar,” Hinata huffed, “you keep fidgeting with your bracelet. You weren’t doing that yesterday.“

_I was bleeding yesterday,_ he wanted to snap. “Do I? Huh.” for all his perceptiveness, Hinata didn’t take the hint to stop talking, just bumbled on.

“Are you in trouble?” 

“No,” Iwaizumi answered, steadily. And honestly—somewhat.

“Hmm. Then is someone you know in trouble?” The knight bit his lip; that was a complicated question. Hinata peered up at him as he walked forward in silence.

“Something like that,” he admitted eventually. Hinata let out a little gasp.

“Oh no!” Iwaizumi frowned, head buzzing with thoughts of horns and a head of brown hair. “I’m sorry,” the swordsman added more softly upon seeing the look on the knight’s face, “I didn’t mean to dredge up bad memories.” 

“It’s all right,” Iwaizumi couldn’t help but to cave at the younger boy’s shiny eyes, “they’re not all bad, anyways. You’re right, I’m just anxious.”

A determined look floating across his face, Hinata picked up speed. Kageyama still kept a solid few feet ahead, and Iwaizumi lengthened his stride to keep up with the two of them.

“Don’t worry Mr. Blacksmith, we’ll get there fast!” the boy assured. Iwaizumi couldn’t say he didn’t appreciate the sentiment, no matter how much his legs protested.

“Thanks,” he murmured, keeping pace with the two younger men. The knot of worry that had been present in his gut for so long unfurled just the tiniest bit. It had been a while since he had been exposed to anything even verging on positive.

It was nice. He’d almost forgotten.

\-- ⋆♔⋆ -- 

The buzz of cicadas hung high in the air. Iwaizumi, feet barely reaching halfway down the length of his bed, sat sweating under the weight of his covers. A smile danced at the corners of his lips.

“Iwa-chan!” a familiar voice sing-songed. A pair of stumpy horns peaked over the edge of his bed.

“Oh no,” Iwaizumi deadpanned, barely able to suppress his giggle, “there must be a monster under my bed, whatever will I do?” Beside his bed, Oikawa let out a breathy laugh. 

“Grrr, you should be scared Iwa-chan!” His friend’s attempt at a growl was high pitched and cute, more than anything. Iwaizumi’s smile climbed higher as he sat up. 

“Guess I’ll just have to fight it,” he shrugged, inching his way over to where his friend laid in wait. Before he could make it over there, Oikawa jumped onto the bed and crashed into him with a shriek. 

“Not if I get to you first!” the boy hollered, fingers already jabbing into Iwaizumi’s sides. Iwaizumi howled with laughter, grabbing at his friend to try and halt his attacks. His fingers caught Oikawa’s side, and his friend started laughing right alongside him.

“Truce! Truce!” The other bit out between giggles. Iwaizumi dropped his arms, letting the other flop onto the bed beside him. They both rolled over to face each other in tandem.

“So much for a big and scary monster,” Iwaizumi teased. Oikawa didn’t say anything, just watched him with a grin and dancing eyes. They stayed like that for a few minutes, silence draped over them like the comforting weight of a blanket. Iwaizumi’s actual blanket sat abandoned in the corner, crumpled from when it had been sent flying during their tickle fight. 

“Happy birthday,” Iwaizumi breathed at last. The corners of Oikawa’s eyes crinkled, and cold fingers wrapped around his wrist with a small tug. 

“C’mon,” the other urged, “My dad says he wants you to eat breakfast with us.” Oikawa rolled out of bed excitedly, dragging Iwaizumi with him. As they made their way down the hall, Oikawa chirping a happy hello to every castle staff member they passed, Iwaizumi felt some of his friend’s enthusiasm infect him. Though it wasn’t uncommon for either of the Iwaizumis to dine with the king and his son, it still made something happy and flattered bloom in the younger’s chest every time. Something like acceptance, contentment. 

It took the combined efforts of both boys to push open the heavy wooden doors, but eventually they found themselves in the castle’s dining room, all high ceilings and glimmering chandeliers. Their fathers sat at the head of the table, Iwaizumi’s offering a small wave as they entered, and the king bellowing a hearty “welcome!”. Grinning, Oikawa dragged Iwaizumi to the two seats nearest to the men, scootching closer so their fingers could remain the laced.

“Good morning you two,” Iwaizumi’s father greeted, looking at them fondly, “and happy birthday, Mr. Prince!” Beside him, Oikawa preened. Iwaizumi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 

“Morning!” the prince chirped back. The conversation fell off as the castle staff entered the room, placing trays of pastries in front of the four. Oikawa immediately filled his plate with the sweets, stuffing one covered in strawberries into his mouth. Iwaizumi took one that looked more on the savory side, cutting it methodically into pieces. The king let out a slight chuckle. 

“You certainly seem hungry. Having a good day so far, son?” Oikawa nodded vigorously at that, mouth still full to bursting.

“Mhm!” he hummed, and after a long swallow added, “Iwa-chan and I have been having lots of fun!”

“Well that’s good to hear. I assume you’re doing well as well, Iwaizumi?”

A bit flustered under direct attention from the king, Iwaizumi nodded shyly. “Yeah, Tooru and I have just been playing together.” Oikawa’s father offered him a steady smile.

“Fantastic! So I assume there will be no objections if I offer you both a gift?” he asked.

“Both? But it’s Tooru’s birthday, not mine–” Iwaizumi started, but closed his mouth as his own father held up a finger in a silent _just wait_. Oikawa squeezed his hand.

“Don’t worry, Iwa-chan, I don’t mind sharing if it’s with you,” his friend whispered, shooting him a secret smile. The king procured two neatly wrapped boxes from beneath the table and slid them over to the boys. Iwaizumi took the one closest to him, holding it up to the light. It was only about the size of his palm. _What could it be?_ Nimbly, Oikawa’s fingers undid the ribbons on top of his box. Iwaizumi followed suit more clumsily. 

“Let’s open them at the same time!” the prince suggested eagerly. Iwaizumi agreed readily, never one to deny his friend anything. They lifted the lids simultaneously, Oikawa pulling the gift from inside with a look of wonder. “A bracelet?”

Iwaizumi inspected his own box’s contents. Inside sat a bracelet, surface covered in gleaming silver beads, slightly offset by blue gem nestled at the top. He slipped it onto his wrist, marveling at the way it caught the candlelight of the chandelier. 

“It’s so pretty,” he breathed. Oikawa tugged on his now jewelry laden wrist, pulling in until it sat beside his own on the table. The bracelet wrapped around his friend’s wrist was almost identical aside from the red gem it held.

“Look, we match!” Oikawa sounded extraordinarily pleased, and Iwaizumi couldn’t help but smile. Both of their fathers laughed, drawing the boy’s attention. He’d almost forgotten they were there, in light of Oikawa’s radiant happiness. Even without looking, he could feel the joy rolling off the other beside him. 

“You certainly do,” Iwaizumi’s father agreed. His expression sobered after a moment. “Please take care not to lose those, they’re very important.” 

“Important how?” Oikawa asked. His hand curled around Iwaizumi’s once more between them. 

“That’s a story for later, I just need you to promise me you’ll keep them safe.”

“And together,” the king added. The prince let out a scoff.

“Of course we’ll keep them together, Iwa-chan and I are always going to stay together! And I’m never taking mine off!” he announced proudly, fingers squeezing tightly against Iwaizumi’s.

“Same here,” Iwaizumi agreed without hesitation. Oikawa beamed at him as he took a bite out of another pastry.

“I’m glad to hear it,” the King said with a small smile, “You two are important too.”

“Yes we are!” Oikawa all but shouted, suddenly standing from his seat. Iwaizumi jostled where their arms connected. “Can we go play outside now? I want to see how they look in the sun.”

When Oikawa’s father nodded his acquisition, the prince shot off like a rocket, leaving Iwaizumi no choice but to stumble after him, breakfast abandoned on the table. His friend led them to the glass doors leading to the palace gardens. It was a warm day, sunlight dancing across their skin as they pushed outside. The prince held their joined hands up to the sky.

“Shiny!” he exclaimed with glee, giving a little jump. Iwaizumi laughed, tugging their hands down. 

_You’re shiny too,_ he wanted to say. “Idiot,” he said instead, “you can see them just as well down here.” Oikawa pushed his hair out of his face with his free hand and shot him a lopsided grin. 

“Well,” he started, taking on a pitchy imitation of the smarmy tone that Iwaizumi had watched slowly creep more and more into the prince’s interactions with others. He rarely ever heard it when it was just them, and really, just the faux-version was grating enough for him. “I’m ten years old now! It’s time for me to start reaching for lofty heights.” Iwaizumi shoved his friend, only hard enough to earn him a stumble and a weak glare from Oikawa. 

“You don’t even know what that means, you’re just quoting the captain of the guard!” Oikawa squeezed his hand tightly. The pair came to a stop at the edge of a stream, bed covered in wildflowers. Oikawa sat down, crossing his legs and pulling Iwaizumi with him. 

“I do so!” the prince replied haughtily after a moment's hesitation, “it means I’m going to do very big things. My dad said so, remember?”

“We, you mean. We just promised we’d do things together,” Iwaizumi corrected. 

“We,” Oikawa amended, trailing off with a smile. Iwaizumi was content just to watch his friend think in silence.

“You’re not gonna break our promise, right?” Oikawa asked suddenly. He sounded almost insecure, “ birthday promises are the strongest.”

“Birthday promises aren't a real thing,” Iwaizumi snorted, already knowing what the prince’s reaction would be. On cue, Oikawa’s bottom lip jutted out.

“Are so! We just made one!”

Iwaizumi curled his pinky around Oikawa’s, stare fixed on the bracelets surrounding their clasped hands. “Maybe they are,” he allotted, “doesn’t matter though. I’m not gonna break it either way.”

Oikawa said nothing, head falling against Iwaizumi’s shoulder as he let out a contented hum. Iwaziumi watched as their reflections bent against the surface of the water, ripples skating over their distorted faces.

His friend’s skin was warm, sunkissed in the July heat. Iwaizumi thought his heart felt just a bit warmer. 

\-- ⋆♔⋆ -- 

“You sure do stare at that thing a lot,” Hinata commented, not unkindly, around noon. Iwaizumi startled, tearing his gaze away from his bracelet. He’d gotten used to the silence that had surrounded the group for the past hour. 

“Oh,” he breathed, “I guess I do.”

“Did you get it from the person you’re worried about?” Iwaizumi shoved down the memory that came bubbling up once more at the comment, throat aching fiercely.

“Not quite,” he croaked out, coughing into his hand and avoiding eye contact with the swordsman. Kageyama stiffened beside him. 

“Oh,” the archer murmured. it was the first thing he’d added to the conversation since they set off. 

“What do you mean ‘oh’, Kageyama?” Hinata asked, unaware. Iwaizumi had a pretty good idea of why Kageyama had made the noise. He ignored the images of a prince yelling at his general while a knight tugged at the beads around his wrist that flashed behind his eyes. 

“Nothing,” Kageyama stared straight ahead, seemingly immune to Hinata’s pout. The conversation fell off after that, but Iwaizumi could practically feel the swordsman closeby vibrating with curiosity. The road came upon the entrance to a wood, and the group stilled as Kageyama consulted his map. 

“We just need to keep left,” he instructed, index finger tracing lightly against the worn paper as Hinata charged immediately ahead. Sunlight flooded between the gaps of the trees, but the forest was still pretty dim overall. The chittering of animals and rustling of leaves filled the void of conversation. Iwaizumi kept careful watch of the shadows, especially on edge after the events of the day prior.

They walked for a good while, coming upon a fork in a road and travelling left, as per the archer’s instructions. The knight bristled at the sound of rustling in the distance. He tugged on Kageyama’s sleeve. 

“Did you hear that?” he whispered, trusting that the other still had the keen sense of hearing that had made him so famous back home. Kageyama nodded, opening his mouth to reply, only to be cut off by a growl up ahead. 

A creature, dark and beady eyed, burst out of the bushes and crouched in front of Hinata up ahead, teeth poking out as it snarled. Iwaizumi’s eyes widened in recognition—it looked almost identical to the monster that had bitten his arm yesterday, complete with red eyes and a hauntingly familiar magical aura. Instinctively, his hand wrapped around the hilt of his sword. Kageyama carefully drew the bow from his back.

“What the hell even _is_ that thing,” the other hissed. Hinata stood frozen in fear in front of the creature. “It looks like–like _his_ magic”

Something cold settled in Iwaizumi’s gut. If Kageyama had suspicions too, chances were this whole encounter, perhaps the whole reason for this _journey_ , was a lot more dire than he’d previously thought. 

“Gods, Fuck,” he swore, words bubbling past his lips before he could stop them. They didn’t have time for weird magic shit, he needed to get to the capital _fast._

Hinata let out a quiet, anxious noise, still frozen in front of the growling creature. Kageyama leaned forward almost imperceptibly. Neither the knight nor archer moved further than that for fear of spooking the monster. 

A palpable tension settled over the group, the creature didn’t seem keen on moving, but that didn’t prevent the thick undercurrent of anxiety that flowed through them. Everyone startled at the sound of horses hooves, growing louder and louder until a stark white steed erupted from the trees. 

“Aha!” its rider exclaimed, voice loud and sending Iwaizumi’s pulse skyrocketing after the terse quiet, “there you are!” A man, tightly wrapped in a cloak that covered even his lower face emerged from the trees a moment after, fingers braced around the handle of an axe.

Dirt sprayed into the knight’s face as the horse came to a hard stop, hooves scrambling for purchase against the forest floor. The monster, seemingly agitated by the commotion, lunged forward, sending Hinata to the ground with a shriek. Wiping off his eyes with a hasty forearm, Iwaizumi quickly drew his sword. Kageyama beat him to the chase though, lodging two arrows into the back of the beast.

“Get that thing off Hinata,” the archer ordered—Iwaizumi didn’t have time to ponder how odd it was to be taking orders from someone he had once ranked above—voice laced with thinly veiled fear, “we’ll deal with whoever the hell that is after!”

He nodded, stepping forward only to be thrown back by a sudden gust of wind. A beam of light emanated from the direction of the horse’s rider, slowly expanding to fill the air with an energy that was distinctly the crackle of magic. 

“Ha! Face the power of the light!” The rider’s voice seemed to carry over the sound of the mounting spell, laced with more levity than the situation called for, in Iwaizumi’s opinion. A flash of light filled the forest, blinding and it’s intensity, forcing the knight’s eyes to clamp shut. 

“H-huh?” at the sound of Hinata’s confusion, they flew back open. His heart skipped a beat as he desperately scanned his surroundings for the creature. He couldn’t find it—now only left with the sight of the rider, tome in hand and standing triumphantly by his horse, accompanied by the tired looking axe weirder. Hinata laid sprawled on the ground nearby, breathing heavily.

“What the fuck,” deadpanned Kageyama, mirroring Iwaizumi’s thoughts exactly. He turned to face the frazzled archer.

“I have no–”

“Amazed?” interrupted the rider, eyes shining as brightly as his gray hair, “I’m Sugawara, by the way, pri–”

“Suga,” the man beside Sugawara hissed, “Be discreet. remember?” The rider just winked at the man, turning his attention back to Iwaizumi and Kageyama. 

“Sorry about him,” he stage-whispered, “he’s grumpy. I’m Sugawara, champion of light!” Based on the heavy sigh that came from the axe wielder, perhaps Iwaizumi wasn’t the only one that thought that name sounded incredibly pretentious. 

“Champion of light…?” Kageyama echoed. The self-proclaimed champion nodded vigorously.

“That’s right! I’ve been investigating cases of monsters like that one back there popping up on the countryside, you’re lucky I came when I did!”

“We could have handled it,” Iwaizumi rebutted distractedly, eyes fixed on the cloaked man. Something about him was just so damn _familiar._

“Well,” Sugawara chimed, fingers tapping rhythmically against the crystal embedded in the cover of his tome, “didn’t quite seem that way. Besides, these things can be quite challenging, even for experienced mages like me.”

“You know what that thing was?” Hinata pushed himself into a seated position with a grunt. Iwaizumi wanted to know, too. Wanted to know if it had anything to do with the situation he had left back home. _Don’t think of Oikawa right now,_ he chastised himself, _you’ve got things to do._

“Well, sort of! I have a theory that they might have something to do with legend, but that’s just–”

“ _Suga,_ ” the cloaked man re-joined the conversation, “discretion, please. Not everything needs to or should be common knowledge.” Shelving the concerning implications of that comment for now, Iwaizumi narrowed his eyes, focusing on the steady timbre of the voice. It was _so_ familiar. Brown eyes, the only thing visible through the makeshift hood of the cloak met with his, widening. “I think we should go, now.”

Sugawara frowned, but mounted his horse again. “Hmm, alright. But not before these people promise to be more careful in the future.” He shot a pointed look at the group of three, sending Kageyama bristling.

“How is that any of your business?” the archer snapped, fists curling at his sides. A wry look crossed the rider's face as he slipped his tome into the satchel resting on the flank of the horse. 

“You’d be surprised,” was all he offered in way of explanation. The cloaked man whipped around, away from Iwaizumi’s prying eyes.

“Let’s go,” he stated, already taking off down the path. Sugawara followed on his horse, waving a casual goodbye over his shoulder. Iwaizumi took a moment to process what the _fuck_ just happened, then let out a very stressed, _very_ annoyed noise. 

“Oh,” was the only commentary Hinata had to offer. Kageyama grunted beside him.

“ _Oh_ is right, who the hell was that?”

Both of them turned to Iwaizumi, as if they thought he had _any_ idea. 

“I’m just as lost as you are,” he replied, “but more importantly, are you all right, Hinata?” 

The swordsman brought up a sheepish hand to rub at the back of his neck, “Eheh, just fine. A little thing like that could never get the best of me!”

His behavior earlier seemed to contradict the claim, but Iwaizumi chose not to contest that point. He’d been frightened too—though perhaps more so by the implications of the creature than anything.

“Okay,” the knight said, “then let’s get going. The sooner we get to the capital, the better.“ The fight was over, but anxiety still coiled high in Iwaizumi’s chest. Something seriously sinister was brewing, he could feel it.

“Right,” chimed the other two in eerie synchronization. The group set off, Iwaizumi weighed down by heavy thoughts of magic and bracelets and promises to never leave.


End file.
